3/7/25
Upcoming Dates:
3/20- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM and Conferences from 5:00 PM- 8:30 PM
3/21- No School- Conferences from 10:00 AM- 1:30 PM
3/24-3/28- No School- Spring Break
4/1- No School
4/17- Half Day- Students dismissed at 11:10 AM
4/18- No School
4/22- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
5/13- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
5/23- Half Day- Students dismissed at 11:10 AM
5/23- Last Day for 8th Graders
5/26- No School
5/27- 8th Grade Graduation 8 PM
5/29- Last Day for 6th and 7th Graders
5/29- Half Day- Students dismissed at 11:10 AM
What’s Happening at Twin Groves?
6th Grade
Core 6/7 Math: We are continuing our unit on Algebraic Equations. This part of the unit includes solving two-step equations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The students will be learning about isolating the variable and keeping the equation balanced. Last month we talked about encouraging the students to understand others’ reasoning and provide critique. This has allowed the students to have rich discussions in class and led to a great sharing of viewpoints. This month, students should recognize that they are modeling with mathematics, whether by representing the problem with an equation, table, or graph. Also, we’d like to focus on reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, as these skills are necessary when modeling with mathematics. Feel free to ask your children about their work!
The students have access to these apps that they should be using regularly:
Math Facts Ninja - For students who need extra practice with their math facts.
IXL - This app covers topics in line with the Common Core Curriculum which the students are covering this year. This program is designed to develop critical thinking skills.
Core 7 Math: We will be finishing our linear equations unit soon. The students have been learning about slope, intercepts, relationships, equations, and how they apply to real-life scenarios. Many of the problems the students have been working on include rigorous, deep-thinking problems, and the students have been rising up to the challenge! Last month we talked about encouraging the students to understand others’ reasoning and provide critique. This has allowed the students to have rich discussions in class and led to a great sharing of viewpoints. This month, students should recognize that they are modeling with mathematics, whether by representing the problem with an equation, table, or graph. Also, we’d like to focus on reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, as these skills are necessary when modeling with mathematics. Feel free to ask your children about their work!
The students have access to these apps that they should be using regularly:
Math Facts Ninja - For students who need extra practice with their math facts.
IXL - This app covers topics in line with the Common Core Curriculum which the students are covering this year. This program is designed to develop critical thinking skills.
Language Arts: As we begin trimester 3 and continue our unit on "Surviving The Unthinkable," students will continue to explore the essential question "What does it take to be a survivor?" through an analysis of several memoirs, poems, and fictional stories. Students will be able to identify how characters change and adapt when faced with difficult circumstances. In addition, students will continue their study of Greek and Latin roots and affixes.
Science: It’s official…we are ⅔ done with this school year and into our 5th unit! This unit is called Natural Hazards and we’ve already started learning a lot about tsunamis. This particular unit also incorporates analyzing data and graphs. We’ll continue learning more about other hazards through a Natural Hazards Project as well as diving deep into data!
SS: In social studies, we are beginning our unit on culture by looking into Roman mosaics and other forms of art, mythology, and literature. From there, we will be learning about different philosophies from India, China, Greece, and more. We will see how these cultural elements have helped to shape the civilizations they were a part of and also look at how they have continued to influence future civilizations.
7th Grade
Language Arts: The language arts classes have just finished S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. We will work on a few projects to demonstrate our understanding of the novel's characters and themes. After spring break, we will revisit text structure and learn how it helps readers understand the central idea of a nonfiction text.
Language Arts Advanced: The advanced language arts classes are working towards finishing Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Students have been working hard to keep up with the reading, and we will finish shortly. We will spend some time working on a few projects to display an understanding of the characters and themes of the novel. After spring break, we will revisit text structure and learn how text structure helps readers understand the central idea of a nonfiction text.
Science In our 5th unit of the year, students have started investigating how using palm oil in candy and other products endangers orangutans and tigers in Indonesia. Students are investigating why we continue to use palm oil while simultaneously brainstorming ways to address this issue. Students will soon be participating in a March Madness-themed catapult engineering project!
Social Studies: As we roll into the last Trimester of 7th grade, we are following our new nation coming out of the Revolutionary War, Constitutional Convention, and first Presidents. We will analyze historically significant individuals, documents, events, places, and innovations during our remaining weeks. George Washington’s farewell address is just as relevant today as it was back in 1796! We will then examine our nation’s growth and westward expansion to include outstanding achievements and unfortunate setbacks as we completed our “Manifest Destiny”. While America grows and expands, the Industrial Revolution is taking shape… industrial North and agricultural / plantation South. So many great innovations enter life… which ones are most influential? However, what “price” or “cost” do certain segments of the population face during these growing and expanding years… Native Americans, slaves, factory/mill workers, immigrant workers, etc. There will be a second conflict against Great Britain, which will provide us with our eventual National Anthem. We continue to examine a variety of primary and secondary sources using inquiry, argumentation, implementing questioning and questions, critical literacy skills, and source evaluation for reliability and credibility.
Math Core 8: Students have been practicing how to apply the properties of exponents to simplify exponential expressions as well as how to evaluate them while following PEMDAS (the order of operations).
Algebra 1: We just finished our unit on solving Quadratic Equations. Students are in the early stages of learning about all the key features of quadratic functions written in standard form, vertex form, and intercept form and what these key features can tell us about the function. They will also be learning how to use these key features to graph the function. Students will also be practicing using their graphing calculator to find the “zeros” of quadratic functions in real-world problems and to generate quadratic regression equations to make predictions.
8th Grade
Language Arts: In ELA, we are diving into the art of language through poetry, exploring how words can evoke powerful emotions, tell compelling stories, and challenge perspectives. Students are engaging in a March Madness-style activity with spoken word poems, analyzing and debating which pieces resonate the most. Alongside this, we are reading novels in verse, allowing students to experience how poetry can bring narratives to life in a unique and impactful way. They will also have the chance to express themselves through writing their own poetry, using rhythm, imagery, and word choice to craft their voices on the page. As we move toward the final stretch of the year, our focus will shift to Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet.
Science: Our current unit, "Forces at a Distance," focuses on magnetic and electromagnetic forces. Students are deeply engaged in exploring the inner workings of speakers through hands-on learning experiences. They have been engineering homemade cup speakers while carefully identifying and understanding the essential components that make speakers function. Most speakers share common parts: a magnet, a coil of wire, and a speaker cone, and students are investigating how these elements work together systematically in a speaker system. They also learned how to create an electromagnet by using a battery and a coil of wire, discovering how electrical current can transform a simple wire into a magnetic field. They are currently exploring the fascinating interactions between magnets using iron filings, examining how two magnets can create attractive and repulsive forces depending on their polarity. Additionally, this unit will expand to explore static electricity, helping students understand how electrical charges can build up and interact with different materials, creating invisible but powerful forces.
Social Studies: After investigating the impact the Vietnam War had on life in the United States and on citizens of Vietnam, we are spending the next couple of weeks learning about the Civil Rights Movement that also took place throughout the 1950s and 60s. This was truly a time of great divide amongst the citizens of this country. While our story includes racial discrimination and violence, the focus of this unit is to help students understand the Civil Rights leaders and citizens and their use of nonviolent protest to bring about positive changes in society. Students will be writing their next argumentative essay this month, where once again they get the opportunity to practice creating a claim statement within an introductory paragraph, as well as crafting an evidence-based “Body” paragraph that supports their sub-claim. Students have made great strides this year in their ability to write argumentative responses! After completing our second DBQ, we will continue our story by moving into the 70s and 80’s, helping students better understand other groups that have historically fought for social justice.
Core 8: Students have been practicing how to apply the properties of exponents to simplify exponential expressions as well as how to evaluate them while following PEMDAS (the order of operations).
Algebra 1: In Algebra 1, we are beginning our Graphing and Writing Quadratic Functions unit! This unit is a very important unit of study for Algebra 1 and builds on the skills we learned in Unit 7. The students will be exploring how to graph quadratic functions in factored form, standard form, and vertex form along with identifying key features of parabolas. Next up, we are covering writing equations of quadratic functions when given contextual situations. Please continue to encourage your child to get help and ask questions when needed, complete homework assignments and utilize IXL/ Khan Academy!
Geometry In Geometry, we are in the beginning of our Circles unit! We will be learning all about writing equations of circles, angles of circles, properties of tangent and secant lines, and more! After this unit, we will be moving into Area and Surface Area. The students continue to work hard unit after unit! Please continue to encourage your child to get help and ask questions if needed, complete independent practices (IPs), and utilize IXL/Khan Academy for extra practice!
OPEN NOW: *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
Now through March 28th, KCSD96 invites you to share your thoughts on the inner workings of your child’s school. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago.
As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school. Your participation will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide our improvement. Parent identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
Please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
5Essentials Student Survey- March 10th
Beginning the week of March 10th, KCSD96 students in 4th-8th grade will be administered the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This 25-minute survey is based on over 20 years of research at the University of Chicago and asks students about their experiences in school with the purpose of providing school leaders with critical student input to help develop school improvement plans. Students’ identities will be completely confidential, and teachers and administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information.
Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the UChicago Impact Support Center (https://impactsurveyshelp.force.com/s/article/illinois-5essentials-survey-questions).
If you do not want your child’s input to be considered for school improvement purposes, please contact your child's principal by Sunday, March 9th.
Family Educator Conferences
Family/Educator Conferences are right around the corner! Once again, we are using Meet the Teacher as our scheduling platform for conferences on Thursday, March 20th (5:00-8:30) and Friday, March 21st (10:00-1:30).
All conferences are virtual via Meet the Teacher’s platform unless you contact the staff members and notify them.
-Elementary school families: When you open the Meet the Teacher platform, you will see your child's classroom teacher in the list of available conference sign-ups as well as some specials teachers, special education teachers, and related service providers if your child sees them during a school day.
-Middle school families: When you open the Meet the Teacher platform, you will see one of your child's core teachers in the list of available conference sign-ups as well as exploratory teachers, special education teachers, and related service providers if your child sees them during a school day.
Please sign up for a conference with any staff member listed who you would like to see. Meet the Teacher Conference Sign-Up will close at 4:00 pm on Monday, March 17th. After that, you must contact the building administrative assistant at the school.
Click on the link below to sign in to Meet the Teacher or copy and paste it into a browser: https://kildeerdistrict96.meettheteacher.com
For those who may be trying to sign up for a conference using a mobile device, please know that you may encounter issues navigating the platform. For best results, it is recommended that you try to access the link on a laptop or computer.
Families with multiple students in KCSD96 may experience issues when trying to switch between sign-ups. To mitigate any problems, please try using a different browser or logging out between sign-ups.
Student Registration Opens
Student registration for the 2025-26 school year opens on March 4th. Parents and guardians of new Kindergarten students (who have submitted all required documents) and returning KCSD96 students will be emailed a link to register their child for the 2025-26 school year.
Complete registration by April 15 to receive a $20 Early-Bird discount. Families with returning students who register after April 15 will pay the standard registration fee.
Registering early helps us to plan for the upcoming school year.
Registration fees paid by April 15 for the 2025-26 school year are:
-Early Childhood Blended Tuition: $2,870 (or $335.07 monthly)
-Kindergarten: $90
-Grades 1-4: $110
-Grade 5: $120
-Grades 6-8: $135
Families new to District 96 can find more registration information here: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/registration
If you have any registration questions, please contact [email protected].
Virtual Backpacks
District Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
Twin Groves Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/tg/virtual-backpack
Daily Announcements
Please see Twin Groves' website for up-to-date school announcements. The announcements let you know what exciting activities and clubs are going on at Twin Groves. Please click HERE to access the Daily Announcements.
Twin Groves Athletics
Please click HERE to access the Twin Groves Athletics site.
This site will be updated frequently.